Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday and Rear Adm. Aaron Beng Yao Cheng, Republic of Singapore Chief of Navy, conducted a phone call April 7, to discuss continued bilateral cooperation between the two navies.
WASHINGTON (NNS) - Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday and Rear Adm. Aaron Beng Yao Cheng, Republic of Singapore Chief of Navy, conducted a phone call April 7, to discuss continued bilateral cooperation between the two navies.
"The Republic of Singapore Navy remains a vital partner in a strategic part of the world," said Gilday. "Together, our two navies promote a free and open Indo-Pacific and enhance access to the maritime commons."
Rear Adm. Beng echoed similar sentiments.
"Adm. Gilday and I reaffirmed the strong and longstanding bilateral relations between our two navies," said Beng. "With a regular cadence of professional interactions, 2021 will be another fruitful year of bilateral engagements."
During the call, both leaders also committed to resume face-to-face meetings, hopefully later this year in Singapore.
The U.S. and Singaporean navies recently conducted the 26th iteration of Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) in December 2020, and exercised together in the South China Sea earlier last year. Both navies are scheduled to participate in the upcoming exercise Pacific Griffin.
This was the second call between the two leaders since Beng took office in March 2020.
